


Borrowed Time

by chaiya



Category: Persona 2, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Canon Queer Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, cw for references to death, ignores eternal punishment lol, innocent sin spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-22 08:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13760163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaiya/pseuds/chaiya
Summary: After visiting his father's grave on the rainy afternoon of April 5, 2007, Jun walks back to his car. On his way, an out of place tombstone catches his eye. It reads, "Tatsuya Suou, d. April 8, 2007". Who is Tatsuya Suou, and why will he be dead in three days time?





	1. Day 0

**Author's Note:**

> Probably going to be roughly 20k! 
> 
> Inspired by the writing prompt posted by @vanillanebula on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7z4ctv/wp_you_went_to_cemetery_to_visit_your_grandmas/

Jun Kurosu no longer cries over death and loss. Grief had become more like a shadow, something dark and lingering that Jun was accustomed to, rarely giving its presence in his life a second thought. Despite his growing emotional detachment from grief, he still dutifully visited his late father’s grave from time to time, usually adorning the grave with fresh flowers arranged delicately beside lit incense. After the rites and silent prayer are complete, he stands, smoothing his long peacoat, and turns to make the somber walk back towards his car.

As he steps carefully through the cool damp earth between rows of tombstones, he admires the flowers and trinkets left behind by the living. Many of the graves appear to be well attended and recently visited, while others are more weathered and in need of care. A pristine new tombstone with no sign of flowers nor incense nor notes catches Jun’s eye as he reaches the end of the row. “A fresh grave with no signs of visitation? How odd…” he wonders, guessing that the deceased left behind no loved ones. Curious, he approaches the stone to inspect it further. It reads, “Tatsuya Suou, d. April 8, 2007”. Jun knits his brow in confusion and fishes his cell phone from his bag, flipping open the screen with his thumb. Sure enough, the date on the small screen banner reads “April 5, 2007”, three days earlier than the date of death listed on the grave. There is a thought itching in the back of Jun’s mind as he tries to understand the engraving. The date of birth, also written on the stone, tells him that this young man is barely six months older than himself. 

Jun looks around, noting that he is completely alone in the cemetery, yet something feels off about this moment, as if he isn’t truly alone here. He reasons that perhaps he is just unsettled by the premature tombstone of this 25-year-old stranger, and nothing else is really amiss, but it does little to reassure him. He can’t just leave now without paying his respects. Jun turns and makes quick, agile strides back to his father’s grave. He pulls a single Aster flower from his arrangement and carries it back to the grave of Tatsuya Suou, where he gently places it on the bare altar. He looks down on the grave on last time, puzzled. “Who are you…”, he mutters with a hint of irritability as unclear thoughts continue to pull at his consciousness like a forgotten dream he’s trying desperately to recall. With a sigh, Jun retrieves a pen and an old receipt from his bag and jots down the name and birthday of the stranger. He places the items back into his bag with a sigh, and once again continues his walk back to the car.

\---

The cold damp of early spring had chilled Jun as deeply as had the tombstone’s engraving. Home in his quiet apartment, he prepares himself a simple hot meal of chazuke and green tea. He eats alone tonight just as he does every night, which he admittedly doesn’t mind too much. A bit of an introvert, socializing tended to wear him out unless he really clicked with someone. But tonight, the silence somehow seemed unhelpful and awkward. He could not stop his thoughts from returning to the cemetery. From his place at the small round table in his one room apartment, he looks across the room to his bag hanging from the hook on the door. Finishing his last bite of chazuke, he pushes his bowl forward, stands, and grabs his half-finished cup of tea as he makes his way towards the bag. He grabs the strap and crosses the room once more, unceremoniously dropping the bag on the floor besides his computer desk, and takes his seat. While his computer boots up, he retrieves the paper scrap from his bag and sips at his tea. “Tatsuya Suou…Tatsuya....” he repeats to himself, hoping it will all suddenly make sense to him. His trance is broken as the computer finally chimes, alerting him that the desktop has finished booting. He double clicks the internet icon and waits for his broadband connection to load, once again zoning out and looking around his apartment.

Jun’s apartment is clean but sparse. White tile covers the entire floor, and the walls are an equally neutral shade of beige. In the corner of his room lies his futon with a colorful floral duvet. Floral prints and accents make up the only decoration that his apartment does have. Several surfaces and shelves function only to hold potted plants and flower vases. Aside from this, Jun has very few photos or posters on display--just one photo of his parents and another of a group of friends from one of his university clubs. His eyes finish scanning the familiar room and rest upon his old black Featherman mask, hanging besides his desk. He fixates on it. Why had he insisted on keeping this mask around? He had no particular attachment to it, but everytime he considered tossing it while deep cleaning his apartment, something stopped him from ridding himself of the toy each time. He hardly remembered playing with it as a child, but he could not bear to throw it away.

He snaps out of his fixation on the mask and turns his attention back towards the freshly loaded internet homepage. He tentatively types in the hiragana for the stranger’s name, careful to select the proper kanji. Jun scrolls through about three pages of relevant search results which all lead to dead ends. Results on a Sumaru City police officer with a similar name, articles on high school athletes from other prefectures, and a few more hits for a small local politician from up north. Finally, Jun finds what he is looking for on an unexpected page: a business website for a Sumaru City mechanic. On the site, Jun finds a tab labeled “Who We Are”, which he clicks to find a staff photo and a description of the skillset of each staff member. Sure enough, a young man by the name of Tatsuya Suou is the in-house specialist on small engine mechanics and motorcycle restoration. Satisfied by his first and only solid lead as to the stranger’s identity, Jun takes down the address of the mechanic shop on the back of the same receipt as Tatsuya’s name and date of birth. What does he even do with this information? What does he really think is going to happen? “Excuse me, I don’t believe we’ve met before but it seems there is a tombstone with your name that cites your time of death as a mere handful of days from now. Just thought you’d like to know”. Jun slouches in his chair, feeling torn and frustrated. Yes, this would likely be a very bizarre encounter, but could he really just allow the next three days to passively slip by? He bends over the arm of his chair and grabs his bag, hoisting it up onto his lap to pull out his day planner. He pulls the bookmark tab--an enamel yellow Iris--and opens to the current week. Completely free and open. As a young cram school teacher with hopes of securing employment as a full-time teacher at a local public school, he was afforded only one privilege in this entry level teaching position--vacation time in alignment with the scholastic calendar. Forty days off in the summer, a week or two off in the winter, a handful of government holidays, and of course spring break. This week is spring break, the bit of time in early April just before the start of a new school year. Today, April 5th, is a Thursday. By the end of this weekend, this Tatsuya Suou will be dead and Jun will be preparing for the first week’s curriculum. Jun eyes the empty plans in tomorrow’s time slot. It would likely be very easy for him to visit the mechanic tomorrow. Perhaps he could stop by towards the end of the work day, when Tatsuya may be free to chat. 

Jun shakes his head, ridding himself of the ridiculous plot. Approaching this stranger with such unbelievable information is likely to make him into something of a mockery. And he really should be using this week of vacation time to rest and do things he actually enjoys, rather than chasing strangers down a rabbit hole. But the itch in his mind will not let him put the issue to rest. With another frustrated sigh, Jun pulls up his sleeve to check the time on his wristwatch. He almost is shocked by how early it is until he realizes that the watch has stopped about an hour and a half ago, at 8pm. He glances back at the computer monitor to confirm the actual time, 21:37. He unclasps his watch and places it on the desk in order to replace the batteries another day. Or maybe he would finally replace this old watch and treat himself to a new one--he was never too attached to this one anyway. After one final glance between the mechanic’s website and the open planner, Jun shuts down his desktop and clips the receipt with the name and address under the planner bookmark. Tomorrow he would have the entire morning and afternoon to work up the courage to visit the mechanic or to let the day’s encounter slip into just another memory.

It takes Jun far longer than usual to fall asleep. The feeling of not being alone hasn’t left him since the cemetery. There seems to be an unknown presence with him, almost like its a part of him. It’s unnerving at best, and he cannot stop his mind from dwelling on the cemetery or the muffled voice in the back of his consciousness. Tonight would be a restless, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aster flower - remembrance
> 
> The first chapter is more of a prologue and will be a bit shorter than the other chapters.


	2. Day 1

The day so far had passed by at an achingly slow pace. Jun barely slept and then woke early, making the long morning and afternoon hours pass by with tedium. He couldn’t seem to focus on much else besides this mystery he had thrown himself into, so he had decided that he might as well see this through. At the very least he could meet this Tatsuya person and find out that it’s all a big misunderstanding and then put this behind him. Feeling a bit more collected after having reached this decision, Jun prepares himself a hearty lunch of spiced curry, and allows his full stomach to lull him into what he hoped would be a refreshing nap.

He dreams of yellow butterflies and men with long noses and skulls made of crystal.

\---

Jun awakens simultaneously refreshed and disgruntled, rolling over in his futon to check the time on the front screen of his flip phone. It’s about 3:30 PM, and if he gets ready and leaves now, he’ll be able to make it to the mechanic just before closing time. He shuffles barefoot towards his tiny bathroom and scrutinizes his reflection in the mirror. There were little crease marks on his skin from the fabric of the pillow case, a dead giveaway for his mid-afternoon nap. He hopes the marks fade quickly and he turns his attention to his hair. It’s only slightly disheveled, almost in a fashionable way, but he smooths it down into perfection nonetheless. After giving his reflection a few coy smiles and playful stares, he moves on to the closet. There isn’t much of a selection with regards to his wardrobe, but what Jun lacked in quantity he made up for with quality. He had several beautiful button-ups, a handful of comfortable t-shirts and cardigans, and a few pairs of well-fitted pants. He selects a plain white button up and black skinny jeans, pairing the basic outfit with a pale blue cardigan with embroidered wildflowers along the collar. Jun admires his reflection in the mirror one last time before putting the scrap paper with the address into his front pocket, grabbing his coat and bag, and slipping on his shoes as he makes his way out the door.

Typically, Jun would take public transit to get around the city, opting only for his car for trips outside of the city. Fortunately, the mechanic is located in Kounan, which isn’t too far away from his place in Hirasaka. After just one subway transfer, Jun finds his way down an unfamiliar side street, keeping an eye out for the address. He sees the parking lot and garage before he even sees the numbers carefully printed on the front door. Taking a deep breath, he composes himself and pushes open the door, jingling the bell and announcing his arrival to the front desk clerk.

“Pick up or drop off?” the clerk asks half-heartedly.

“Oh, well. Neither, actually”, he starts, earning himself a wary glance from the elderly clerk. “I need to speak with Tatsuya Suou,” he says, “your small engines mechanic”, he adds to make himself sound more knowledgeable and official.

“Suou, huh? Is he working on a bike of yours? I can go check its status for you”, the man offers.

“Ah, no, that won’t be necessary. I just need to get a word in with him, if that’s alright”, Jun tries, feeling increasingly nervous.

The clerk turns his head to look at the clock on the wall behind him. It’s about 4:50 PM.

“Well if this isn’t related to business, you’ll have to wait until he’s off in 10 minutes”, the clerk says gruffly. “You should wait around back, near the parking lot. Most of our staff tend to leave straight from the garages and don’t bother coming through the office space unless they need something from me.”

“Right, thank you for your time,” Jun says politely with a slight bow of the head before slipping out of the shop. He makes his way around back with uncertainty and stops just in front of an immaculately maintained motorcycle. Jun knows next to nothing about anything with an engine, but even he can tell that this is a nice bike. He crouches down and marvels at the cleanliness and shine of the paint job which shows his own distorted reflection. He stands back up and lets his curiosity and awe get the better of him as he runs his hands over the leather seat and handlebars. “You have a discerning eye”, he hears a voice some distance behind him call. In the small side mirror, he sees a young man approaching him from behind. Jun turns to face him, smiling politely.

“Hello, I’m Jun Kurosu. I’m looking for Tatsuya Suou--might that be you?” he asks kindly. His manners do not get him the reaction he was hoping. The young man has stopped dead in his tracks and is staring at him unabashedly in disbelief. Jun feels his heart skip a beat as he stares back at the other man. He’s handsome and weirdly familiar. These thoughts mix with anxiety and surprise and uncertainty, leaving Jun to stare back uncomfortably in reciprocation.

“Yeah”, the other man chokes out.

“Yeah? You’re Suou?” Jun asks, seeking clarification.

Tatsuya clears his throat before replying. “Yes, that’s me. Sorry but...what are you doing here?” he asks, clearly unnerved by Jun’s presence.

Jun is a bit taken aback, and he guesses this shows on his face because Tatsuya immediately apologizes. “I’m sorry, I’m just feeling a little out of it. You said your name is Kurosu? I’m off the clock, but is there something you needed help with?” he asks, seemingly trying to gain some control over his emotions.

“Er, not quite”, Jun replies, smiling weakly. He pauses, completely unsure how he was planning on bringing this up. The longer he stands in front of Tatsuya, the tighter his chest feels. Before he can continue, Tatsuya speaks up once more.

“Have we...have we met before?” Tatsuya asks with something like hope gleaming in his eyes. Jun still feels anxious and eager and enthralled all at once, and he’s caught even more off guard by this line of questioning.

“No, I don’t believe we have”, he replies carefully. Tatsuya’s face falls. Jun has only just met this man but he instinctively feels like he’s reading Tatsuya’s face and body language and thoughts. Almost as if they _had_ met before and spent years learning each other. This sense, this feeling emboldens him. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Tatsuya”, he adds, earning himself a curious glance. “Look, I don’t really know how to say this, and I feel almost silly bringing it up, but I have this gnawing feeling in my stomach that I have to talk to you about something important”.

Tatsuya takes a deep breath and looks Jun in the eye for a long, heavy moment. They are both taking each other in, studying each other in the tense moment. Jun almost feels the urge to shy away from his gaze, finding it a bit overwhelming. Finally, Tatsuya breaks the silence.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Jun asks, unsure about everything that has happened in the last two minutes.

“Yes, I’ll hear you out about whatever it is you’d like to talk about. But I’m starving. I know a place around the corner--Jolly Roger’s. Have you been?” He asks, beginning to physically relax but continuing his intense gaze.

“Once or twice, yes”.

\---

The five minute walk to Jolly Roger’s is unbearably silent. Usually, Jun really appreciates comfortable silence and considers it a measure of compatibility. But Jun was feeling way too many emotions at once to enjoy their brisk, quiet walk, and he was willing to bet that Tatsuya was feeling similarly right now.

The pair make their way inside and take a seat at the end of the bar. Thankfully, they don’t endure their tense silence much longer as the bartender makes his way over to them both almost immediately.

“Hello Suou, the usual?” the barkeep asks.

“Yes, please. And for him as well”. The bartender looks over at Jun, taking him in and eyeing him up and down.

“He’s cuter than the last guy you brought in here,” he jabs before walking off to get their order. Tatsuya’s face flushes bright pink and Jun delicately covers his mouth to hide a smirk. Though unwarranted, the bartender’s comment broke most of the tension of the moment, replacing the uncomfortable mood with a different type of awkwardness.

Regaining composure, Tatsuya turns his attention back to Jun. “What do you need to talk to me about?” he asks, almost as if Jun is an old friend coming to him for advice. It reassures him.

“Right, well. Again, this may sound very bizarre, especially coming from a stranger,” he says a little defensively.

“Kurosu, it’s alright. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Please, call me Jun. I know we’ve just met but hearing you call me by my surname feels, well, off”, he insists, hoping he didn’t cross any boundaries. Tatsuya’s face flushes ever so slightly as he nods in agreement.

“Okay, then I suppose you should just call me Tatsuya as well,” he replies shyly.

“Sure thing, Tatsuya,” Jun says with warmth in his voice, once again forgetting the tension and mystery behind their meeting tonight. “Anyway, as I was saying. This may sound impossible or even alarmist”, he says, feeling the intensity once more, “but I...well...I saw a gravestone with your name on it at the Sumaru City Cemetery,” he discloses.

“Okay…” Tatsuya says slowly, holding the last syllable and narrowing his eyes slightly.

Flustered, Jun reaches inside of his pocket for the receipt scrap containing Tatsuya’s name and date of birth. “Is this your information?” he asks nervously.

“Yes…” Tatsuya confirms hesitantly. “Why...is my information on that stone, and why are you here showing me this?” he asks, clearly thrown off guard.

The bartender returns with two bowls of brown rice curry and four bottles of beer, two for each of them. “Enjoy”.

Tatsuya begins to dig in, but glances at Jun to encourage that he continue explaining himself.

“Well, Tatsuya, I can assure you that it doesn’t get less confusing from here.” Tatsuya raises his eyebrows and takes another bite of curry, eyes focused on Jun now. “You see, the tombstone also listed your date of death. It says you die on April 8th, 2007. This very Sunday.”

Tatsuya puts down his spoon and chopsticks and looks at Jun long and hard. Jun looks back into his eyes, feeling nerves and confidence all at once. Suddenly, Tatsuya bursts into laughter. 

“I’m sorry, but _what_?” he says, laughing and reaching for his beer. Jun’s mouth is hung slightly open, completely thrown. Now it’s his turn to blush from embarrassment. Jun casts his gaze down at his plate and begins to pick at his food, taking small bites while he waits for Tatsuya’s laughter to subside. His laughter sounds so nice and fills Jun with a bit of warmth, but those feelings were hard to cling to when he was the subject of Tatsuya’s laughter. Fortunately or unfortunately for Jun, the sound of Tatsuya’s laughter quickly comes to an end when he realizes that Jun is not laughing along with him. Jun watches the realization that ‘maybe this is not a joke after all’ wash over Tatsuya’s face.

“You’re serious?” Tatsuya asks, his face still lit from laughter, but his tone of voice sounding much more controlled, albeit a bit incredulous.

“I am,” Jun says calmly, looking up from his food.

“It must be some kind of mistake, don’t you think?” Tatsuya suggests, all traces of laughter now fading from his face. Both men take another sip of beer.

“Usually, I’d agree with you”, Jun begins, “but I have a gut feeling that this is more important than some error on an engraving,” he says with conviction. Tatsuya looks as if he’s seriously considering what Jun is saying. Jun adds, “well, actually it’s less of a gut feeling and more of a...a tugging in the back of my mind. Like I already know that this is important but I just can’t remember howso. Or as if there’s a voice inside of me trying to call out. After seeing your--that--tombstone, it felt like something in my mind was trying to tell me something.” 

Tatsuya continues to take him in, and Jun now wonders if he’s said too much.

“I believe you, Jun.”

“Oh, good. That’s a relief,” he sighs, relaxing the tension in his shoulders.

“But regardless of whether or not I believe you, what are we to do about this?” Tatsuya asks, returning to his plate and finishing his food.

“Well, to be frank, I don’t know. I was kind of hoping I would find you and you would tell me this was all some big misunderstanding and I could just go back to my life”, he says with a laugh. He notices a small smile creep onto Tatsuya’s face.

“How did you find me anyway?” he asks amusedly.

“I just searched your name online and found you listed on the staff page of the mechanic’s website. It wasn’t too hard you know. And then you practically whisked me off without any concern just moments after, so you kind of did my job for me there,” he says with a smile, feeling significantly more at ease than he had all evening.

Tatsuya’s smile only deepens and it feels way too familiar, as if the smile is only meant to be seen by loved ones, and Jun finds himself getting a little too lost in the charm. Of everything he worried could happen tonight, he had definitely not planned to be sharing a meal with a handsome stranger whose company he actually enjoyed, given the circumstances at least.

Tatsuya shifts his gaze towards the side wall adorned with dozens of framed, mismatched pictures, paintings, and photographs. Jun follows his gaze.

“Do you like flowers, Jun?” Tatsuya asks, catching Jun by surprise.

“Yes, actually, very much so...why?”

Tatsuya points towards a small painting of a purple flowering plant.

“That’s Thoroughwort,” Jun offers, wondering where this new and sudden line of conversation is going.

“Can you tell me what it means?” Tatsuya asks, his tone more of a demand than an inquiry, suggesting that he somehow already knows that Jun has an answer.

“Well, it has two meanings, depending upon who you ask. In western cultures, it’s said to mean ‘delay’, but in Japan the meaning is ‘remember that day’.”

“Do you?” Tatsuya asks, turning to face Jun, completely serious and betraying no emotion.

“Sorry, do I what? Do I remember that day? What are you asking? I...I don’t understand.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing,” he says dismissively and with that, Tatsuya changes the topic and waves down the bartender for the bill. Jun swears he sees a bit of hurt on Tatsuya’s face after that, but he doesn’t dwell on it, turning his attention to counting his money. They each pay their bills and make their way out of the bar.

“Where do you live, do you want a ride home?” Tatsuya offers.

“Oh, sure. I live in Hirasaka. I hope that’s not too far out of your way.”

“It’s no problem, I live in Rengedai. I’m parked over at the mechanic, so let’s head back.”

Their quick walk in the cool night air is far more enjoyable than their previous walk just under two hours ago. Jun enjoys the comfortable silence before choosing to break it.

“So, you’re just going to go home, just like that? Not even worried about what might happen just two days from now?”

“Well, I will admit, I am a bit worried. I was going to ask you if we could meet up tomorrow to talk more about this. But if you’re uncomfortable with that, then no pressure of course.”

“No, no, it’s fine. It would feel wrong to end things as they are now, with no solution. I’d be happy to meet with you again tomorrow.”

“Thank you”, Tatsuya says. It sounds genuine.

They round the corner and enter the back parking lot of the mechanic. Tatsuya removes the keys from his pocket and walks up to the motorcycle Jun had been admiring earlier.

“Oh. Oh my god. You meant a ride home on this. Not in a car,” Jun frets. Tatsuya takes pity on him and gently pats him on the shoulder with a grin on his face. 

“You’ll be fine. Here, put on this helmet.” Jun does as he’s told, and Tatsuya reaches over to adjust the straps of the helmet for good measure. His fingers graze the edge of Jun’s jaw, and Jun feels his heart skip a beat. The moment passes as quickly as it had occurred, and Tatsuya now flings his leg over the saddle, nodding for Jun to do the same.

“What about your helmet?” Jun asks, trying to mask his own worry by fawning over Tatsuya’s safety instead.

“I’ll be fine. As for you, just keep your legs firmly on both sides and hold onto my waist. You’ll feel comfortable before you know it.”

Jun tentatively situates himself on the back of the motorcycle and wraps his arms around Tatsuya, resting his cheek inbetween the other man’s shoulder blades.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Tatsuya revs the engine and gracefully takes off from the lot and into the street, with street lights and the lights from windows speeding by like city stars. Jun has to admit that Tatsuya was right, he did feel comfortable much more quickly than anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do u ever just bang out 6k of tatsujun in one day and forget who u are


	3. Day 2

Jun is so eager to get to the cafe in his neighborhood that he has to keep himself from running. After Jun returned his apartment last night, he and Tatsuya had exchanged contact information and agreed to meet in the late morning to discuss their predicament over coffee. He knew, of course, that this was not at all a date, but that didn’t stop him from feeling inexplicably excited by the prospect of seeing Tatsuya again. He was almost grateful that circumstance had thrown them together for the weekend. 

The only sign of Tatsuya was his motorcycle parked by the curb. Jun looked around just to be sure before heading inside to look for his new acquaintance. Once inside, he scans the cafe. It’s relatively busy for a Saturday morning, with several groups of friends and small families enjoying one of the first few weekends of spring. Having lived here since the end of his university days, Jun was very familiar with the cafe and their staff. He looked to the left of the shop, hoping his favorite table by the windows--the one with the comfortable seat cushion--would be open. To his absolute delight, Jun finds Tatsuya seated at that very table, and he’s waiting with two ceramic cups. His back is to Jun and he hasn’t seen him yet. Jun approaches, smiling despite himself, and gently places his hand on Tatsuya’s shoulder, alerting him to his arrival. Tatsuya looks up at him from his seat in the chair and gives him a soft smile, which again feels far too familiar, just as his gentle smile had felt the night before.

“Am I late?” Jun asks, pulling up to his sleeve to check his watch before remembering it was sitting dead on his desk at home, permanently stuck on 8 o’clock.

“No, I’m just early. I ordered for you since the line was getting pretty long. I hope that’s alright.”

Jun takes his seat and takes a sip of his latte--a caramel mocha. “Oh, this is my favorite”, he says, truly grateful. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” he says with a chuckle. “I figured buying you a coffee was the least i could do to thank you for helping me with...whatever it is that’s happening.”

“How thoughtful”, Jun replies, flashing Tatsuya a coquettish smile. For a brief few seconds, they just sit there smiling quietly before remembering their surroundings.

“Right, well”, Jun begins, delicately clearing his throat, “Have you been able to think of any possible reasoning? I don’t really know you that well, so I wasn’t able to make any logical deductions myself”.

A trace of pain flashes across Tatsuya’s face at his words, barely perceptible. “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t, since we’re...strangers and all. To be honest, I have more questions than I have answers right now”, Tatsuya admits.

“Well, I did think of one thing”, Jun offers, piquing Tatsuya’s interest further. “What if we called the cemetery and asked who registered the grave?”

“That’s a perfect idea”, Tatsuya replies, seeming partially impressed and partially surprised that he hadn’t already thought of that idea himself. Jun flashes him a pleased smile.

“Great! I’ll call right now,” Jun says.

“You have the contact information already?”

“Yes. I still had it saved after making arrangements for my father.”

“Jun...I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, really. It was years ago now,” Jun says, waving his hand to brush him off and spare himself the pity.

“So, is that why you were at the cemetery when you saw that gravestone with my name engraved on it?”, Tatsuya asks while Jun leans over the arm of his chair to fish his phone from his bag.

“Yes, it was. Had I not mentioned that before?”, Jun begins to laugh, confusing Tatsuya. “So you just listened to a stranger tell you about your own tombstone with no context and went with it? Does this happen to you often or something?” he teases as he scrolls through his contacts looking for the appropriate phone number.

“No, no”, Tatsuya laughs, “I just felt inclined to believe you. I...trust you, Jun”.

Jun feels his cheeks heat up at the vulnerable admission. “I can’t tell if you’re bold or just naive. Anyway, I found the number, so I’m going to call now”. 

The pair sit in silence for 20 seconds while the phone rings, and Jun sits up just a little bit straighter when someone answers the phone, as if the person on the other line could actually see his body language. 

“Hi, my name is Jun Kurosu. I’m calling in regards to the grave of a family member.” Jun says politely. He then pauses and nods as he listens to voice through the phone and occasionally gazes at Tatsuya. “Their information? Oh sure. The name of the deceased is Tatsuya Suou.” Tatsuya flinches. “Mhm, yes. Date of birth...July 27th, 1981”, he reads off from the receipt scrap paper, making eye contact again to confirm with Tatsuya that he had gotten it correct. “Yes, I’ll hold.”

Tatsuya nervously sips his own vanilla latte, wishing the cemetery employee would hurry up.

“What? No record? Are you sure you’ve got the kanji right? That’s ‘tatsu’ as in…” Jun continues to urge the employee to double check everything, while Tatsuya nervously fidgets with his mug. “No, I’m certain that the grave is in Sumaru City Cemetery--”, Jun huffs, knitting his brow in frustration. “No, it’s okay, I understand,” he nods again for his own benefit, “Yes, thank you for your time, I appreciate your help. Yes, thank you, Mhm. Goodbye”. He flips his phone shut and sighs dramatically. His face softens when he sees the worry etched on Tatsuya’s own face. 

“Nothing, huh?” Tatsuya asks, disappointed.

“I’m sorry”, Jun says soothingly, feeling a little defeated. “At least one thing is certain”, he says with a mischievous grin.

“And that is?”

“You, a Leo, are extremely compatible with an Aquarius such as myself”, Jun elaborates matter of factly, with a sly grin on his face. Tatsuya fights the urge to smile and loses. Jun looks at him expectantly. “Well, aren’t you going to ask me when my birthday is? I know yours, afterall.”

“Jun, I already--”, Tatsuya catches himself. “I mean. Yeah, sorry. When is your birthday?” He asks, playing along.

“Valentines day!” Jun says with delight, ignoring how Tatsuya misspoke.

“Born a romantic”, the pair both say teasingly in unison, eliciting shock and laughter from each other.

Jun feels warm and happy and at peace here in this cafe with Tatsuya. His presence is quickly growing on him and making it hard to concentrate on the reason for their meeting today. Not wanting their carefree moment to end just yet. Jun speaks up again, hoping to lay on the charm just a little bit thicker.

“You know, Tatsuya...I feel like we’ve met before. I feel like I already know you”, he says sweetly, peering at Tatsuya to measure his reaction while he absentmindedly rubs his thumb over the handle of his mug.

It’s almost as if Tatsuya is recalling a bittersweet or painful memory, the emotion written clearly on his face. He looks almost a little sad, taking a brief pause before replying. “You’re right, it really does feel that way”, he agrees, staring straight into Jun’s eyes.

“Maybe we have! In another life!” Jun replies lightheartedly.

“I guess anything is possible, right?” Tatsuya says, laughing weakly. Jun studies him carefully. Tatsuya seems to have stiffened a bit.

“Should we go for a walk? Now that we’re done our coffees? A change in scenery may help us brainstorm better”, he suggests in attempt to save the mood.

“Yeah, that sounds fine by me.”

The pair return their mugs to the dishes bin and make their way out of the cafe in silence. Jun leads their way down some familiar side streets. “This neighborhood has a lot of really beautiful flowers blooming this time of year,” he explains as they round the corner. They walk for about a half hour, speaking more seriously on the topic at hand. No progress seems to be made. With so little clues and rationality to the whole situation, they have very little to go on and end up talking in circles, only worsening their stress.

“Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding afterall, and you’re not _actually_ going to die tomorrow”, Jun tries, sounding more hopeful than he feels.

“I hope so, but as weird as this sounds, I’m not so sure...I’ve had a lot of weird things happen to me in my life and it’s kind of left me feeling cold and wary…” he says, worried.

“Like what?” Jun asks, wondering if that was really okay to ask. But Tatsuya himself had brought it up, and maybe it would shed light onto some fresh leads.

Tatsuya stops walking, and Jun immediately stops as well, just one pace ahead of him. Tatsuya is looking at him intently, as if he’s really weighing what he’s about to say next.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to tell you. I’m sorry”, he says, casting his gaze down at his feet. Jun feels a pang of sadness in his heart and wants nothing more than to soothe the other man’s pain. He reaches a hand out hesitantly, and then pulls it back, holding it to his chest instead. He looks around nervously.

“Tatsuya, look here”, he says, pointing to the flower beds outside of the apartment complex that they’re currently standing outside of. “Do you know this flower?” he asks.

Tatsuya obliges, considering the flower for a moment before shaking his head ‘no’.

“This is a Hyacinth. Their colors have a lot of different meanings, but in general, its the flower most associated with Apollo. Are you familiar with the Greek god Apollo, Tatsuya?” 

Tatsuya narrows his eyes, almost as if suspicious of where this is going, but catches himself and quickly relaxes his expression. “I’m familiar with Apollo, yes. But I’m not sure what you mean about Apollo and this flower”, he admits, indicating Jun should continue his explanation.

“Well, Hyacinth was a Greek hero, and his story is most closely tied to Apollo. He and Apollo had become lovers and enjoyed spending time together doing various activities. One day while playing sports, Hyacinth died in Apollo’s arms. Apollo wept and wept, but wouldn’t let the underworld have Hyacinth’s soul. Instead, Apollo used his powers to sow seeds from Hyacinth’s spilt blood, and the flower known today as Hyacinth grew in its place.” 

Jun looks away from the flowerbed and back to Tatsuya to gauge his reaction, hoping his little story had distracted Tatsuya from his own troubles just a bit. 

“So even though a lot of weird or difficult things have happened to you in your life, maybe you’ve just sown seeds for some beautiful things to grow into your life instead, like these flowers!”, Jun says encouragingly. “And maybe I’ll never know your backstory, but I’ll at least see the flowers you’ve grown”, he adds with a smile.

The expression on Tatsuya’s face is so full of affection, like he’s been truly touched by Jun’s words. He’s looking at Jun like what he’s just heard has meant the world to him, and Jun’s face flushes in response, not expecting to have moved Tatsuya this way. Tatsuya begins to smile a soft, genuine smile. “Thanks, Jun”.

“Oh good, you’re smiling! Don’t give up on your dreams and happiness Tatsuya! It’s like that yellow tulip over there--” he says, pointing to the tulips on the other side of the hyacinths, “--there’s sunshine in your smile!”

Tatsuya pulls Jun in for a tight hug, holding him close. Jun is caught off guard but relaxes into it, wrapping his arms around Tatsuya’s waist in return. “There’s a lot I’ll want to tell you. But let’s make sure we both survive tomorrow first”, Tatsuya says into Jun’s hair, giving him one last tight squeeze before letting him go. Jun feels butterflies in his stomach, unable to hide his smile even if he wanted to.

“By Monday, we’ll be laughing about getting worked up for nothing!” Jun says reassuringly. Tatsuya smiles in return, relaxing marginally. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Should we keep walking? I’m starting to get pretty hungry for lunch. I know a place we could go--Gatten Sushi. Interested?”

“Sure, that sounds nice actually. I was starting to get hungry as well.”

They continue their walk, changing their direction and heading towards the sushi place in Kameya Alley. A few moments pass before Jun breaks the silence.

“Speaking of Greek gods”, he starts.

“Hmm?”

“Well I had this really odd dream last night after you dropped me off! I was in some long, mysterious hallway. Like in a dungeon or temple or I don’t know what. And this weird guy with a clock face shows up and introduces himself to me, saying his name is Chronos.” 

Jun doesn’t notice, but Tatsuya’s eyes have gone wide and he’s trying not to break his stride lest Jun stop recalling his dream. 

“He starts telling me about his long lost lover and how he wants to return to her. I can’t really remember her name with complete certainty, but I think it was Ananke”, Jun continues describing his dream animatedly. “And so I’m walking around this temple or whatever with this Chronos guy, and then he gets all ominous and the hallway gets darker and darker.”

Jun glances over at Tatsuya to see if he’s even interested in hearing about this dream, and is pleased to find that he is rapt with attention.

“That’s when it takes a weird turn. He stops talking about this lover entirely and just starts repeating the same thing over and over. ‘Worse than dead; forgotten’. Just that, over and over and over. It really started to freak me out, you know? So I started to back away and try to run in the direction, but no matter where I went, Chronos was there with me. Almost like we were connected. Isn’t that weird? I ended up waking up right around then”, he concludes, smiling smugly that Tatsuya seemed to have really gotten invested in his storytelling.

“Jun.”, he says, tone completely serious.

“Um, yes?” Jun asks, feeling a little anxiety build in his stomach in reaction.

“I need to go, right now. I promise I’ll explain later, but your dream gave me a hunch, and there are a few people I need to go talk to immediately.” Tatsuya changes their course once again, making a turn onto the street leading back to the cafe and picking up his pace.

“Oh, okay. Sure, yeah, we can go right now.” Jun says, trying to keep up. He’s surprised by the rapid change in mood but more than willing to help Tatsuya solve this mystery. 

“I’m sorry, Jun. But I need to go on my own. We can check in again tomorrow and I’ll catch you up on anything I learn.”

“I’m not so sure. What if something happens in the middle of the night? We don’t exactly know when you allegedly die tomorrow, so I’m pretty nervous about this.”

Tatsuya huffs in frustration. Not at Jun, but at the situation they’ve found themselves in. “Okay, what if I check in with you again tonight. We could spend the night at one of our apartments or something, that way you’ll be there if anything happens. Would that make you feel better?”

“How do you know I won’t kill you in the dead of night?” Jun teases, raising an eyebrow. Tatsuya rolls his eyes and breathes out a small laugh.

“Well then at least I’ll know how it ends”, he counters darkly with a teasing grin.

“Okay, okay, joking aside. Isn’t there someone you’d rather spend this night with? Like a partner or--” he trails off, genuinely unsure of the company Tatsuya keeps.

“No, not really. I live alone. I have friends, sure, but right now you and I are kind of thrown together in this situation and it feels unnerving to imagine something tragic happening to me while I’m away from the one person who has any real inkling as to what’s going on here.” They are back outside the cafe and Tatsuya’s parked motorcycle, and they stop walking.

Jun considers this, chin resting in his hand. “Okay, sure. I’ll set up a spare futon for you, but I apologize in advance for my small apartment. Just text me when you’re on your way back and I’ll buzz you in.”

Tatsuya is already straddling his motorcycle and clipping on his helmet. “Thank you, Jun. Try not to worry about me, I’ll be alright.”

“I’m not worried!” Jun insists. But that’s a lie. He is worried. Far more worried than he reasonably should be over someone he only met just yesterday. But he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more to this. He just doesn’t want Tatsuya to feel uncomfortable that a total stranger is so concerned for his safety. Tatsuya gives him a pointed glare, telling him that he knows that’s an outright lie and that Jun is doing a poor job of hiding his concern.

“I’ll see you later tonight. I won’t forget.” And with that, he backs out of his space and takes off riding down the street. Jun is left behind feeling like he’s missing more than a few pieces of this puzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ananke - Greek goddess of Inevitability. Lover of Chronos. Mother of a lot of wild shit.
> 
> Hyacinth (non-color specific meaning)- A flower dedicated to Apollo. The legend is more or less explained in the chapter, but if you'd like to read up more about it, it's explained pretty nicely in this wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_(mythology)
> 
> Yellow Tulip - there is sunshine in your smile. Y'all I'm GAY. As someone who's been interested in flower cultivation and the language of flowers for some time, I'd straight up DIE if someone gave me a yellow tulip tbh. Also I self murdered myself with my flower language shukita fic that I wrote earlier in 2017. Check it out if you too like to die by fluff. All flower meanings are outlined in those chapter notes as well.


	4. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger/content warning in this chapter for canon-typical violence & themes of death, similar to events/spoilers in Innocent Sin

Tatsuya kept his word and didn’t forget to return to Jun that night. It had taken him awhile--Jun was nearly convinced Tatsuya had forgotten after all--but he arrived at the apartment shortly after midnight. The two hadn’t spent much time talking after his arrival. Instead, they shared a pot of camomile tea before Jun gave him a (very brief) tour of his one room apartment. Tatsuya expressed his gratitude several times as he settled into the comfortable spare futon that Jun had laid out for him.

The next thing Jun knows, he’s waking up to the sounds and smells of Tatsuya cooking in his kitchen. He sits up, rubbing his bleary eyes. Tatsuya hasn’t yet noticed Jun’s presence, so Jun quietly takes in the moment, savoring it. He smiles softly at the handsome young man wearing his own borrowed pair of pajamas and preparing a meal for them to share on this sunny Sunday morning. He feels so light, and in the back of his mind, Jun knows he is undeniably falling for this man. Fast. He feels an ache in his chest which radiates a warmth through his stomach and hands and neck. After today, Jun hopes he’s lucky to wake up to many more mornings in this way.

He shuffles out of his futon, his stirring causing Tatsuya to realize he’s awake. Tatsuya looks over his shoulder from his place at the stove.

“Good morning, Jun. I had trouble sleeping this morning so I thought it might be nice to make us breakfast as a thanks for your hospitality. I hope I didn’t wake you”, he adds, a trace of concern crossing his face as if his biggest worry would be to disturb Jun’s rest.

“Not at all”, Jun says, waving a hand dismissively, “and whatever you’re making smells delicious”, he says as he makes his way to Tatsuya’s side.

“Grilled mackerel. I made some rice in the rice cooker too. And I see you have some fruit in the fridge. I hope you don’t mind that I looked through your fridge and cabinets for ingredients.”

“Don’t be so apologetic! It’s actually really nice...I don’t remember the last time someone made me a meal”, he says, gently placing a hand on Tatsuya’s bare arm. Tatsuya looks away from the stovetop and smiles sweetly at Jun in return. The smile sends a jolt straight to Jun’s heart.

“Tatsuya…” Jun starts. Tatsuya hums in acknowledgement. “...do you think we could hold off on the doom and gloom talk about today until after breakfast? I really like the idea of spending a quiet, pleasant morning with you.”

Tatsuya blushes, which makes Jun feel rather pleased with himself. “Sure, I don’t mind.” The two share a brief smile before Jun decides to busy himself by making a pot of black tea.

Jun and Tatsuya spend the next hour making small talk and laughing as they finish preparing the food and sit down to eat. Their conversation never takes a dark turn, instead, each take turns asking questions and sharing stories, getting to know each other. Whenever there seems to be a lull in conversation, Tatsuya manages to pick a new topic or line of question that immediately captures Jun’s attention and interest. Jun can’t help but feel like Tatsuya already knows him so well. Is he just that perceptive? But then again, Jun’s own intuition has lead him to guess several things about Tatsuya so far as well. Maybe it was just inevitable that they should meet and grow close to one another. 

Jun offers to take care of the dishes, firmly believing that the cook shouldn’t be stuck with the cleanup as well. Tatsuya doesn’t fight him much on that and instead takes the opportunity to to get changed and wash up in the tiny bathroom. Tatsuya emerges wearing the same clothes as yesterday and begins to busy himself by putting away his guest futon. Jun heads into the bathroom to change into his clothes as well, feeling a bit odd to be getting dressed inside his bathroom for a change. When he emerges, he finds Tatsuya seated on the small sofa, looking troubled as he stares out the window. Jun sighs, knowing their idyllic morning has come to an end.

“Feeling anxious?” Jun asks gently, taking a seat besides Tatsuya on the sofa. He chooses to lean his back against the armrest, pulling one leg up onto the couch and leaving the other to hang lazily off the side.

“Yes”, he admits, not making eye contact. Jun uses his leg to bump Tatsuya’s arm. He turns to face Jun, but doesn’t make eye contact. Jun’s heart aches as he takes in Tatsuya’s tormented expression.

“Me too”, Jun replies quietly, casting his gaze downwards. They share a painful moment of worried silence.

“Yesterday, I went to see some people from my past”, Tatsuya states, sounding defeated. “I thought they might be able to help me in some way, but I ended up getting nowhere.”

“They didn’t offer to help you? None of them?” Jun asks, feeling a rising bubble of anger towards these strangers who would do nothing to help the man he’s grown alarmingly attached to.

“It’s not that they refused to help...it’s more that they couldn’t. It’s complicated.”

“I don’t want to push you to talk about something painful, but if we talk it through maybe we’ll find more answers that weren’t apparent yesterday”, Jun suggests.

Tatsuya takes a deep breath and let’s it out as a sigh. “It’s not like we have any other leads. Let me start by asking you--if I tell you the names of the people I visited yesterday, would you tell me if you know them?”

“Of course, I don’t see why not.”

“The people I sought out yesterday...their names are Maya Amano, Eikichi Mishina, and Lisa Silverman. Are any of those names familiar?”

Jun rests his chin in his hand, scrunching his brow. “Those names kind of sound familiar, but nothing is coming to mind, so I must not know them. Except for Mishina.”

Tatsuya’s eyebrows shoot up, eyes wide with surprise and gleaming with a flicker of hope. “You know Eikichi?”

Jun is a little taken aback. “Well, technically yes. We went to the same high school. We never really hung out, but we never had any problems with each other either. He was quite popular, so his name sticks out. But I doubt he’d say he remembered me if you were to ask him.”

Tatsuya nods, but his face falls. “I see.”

“So what of these people, Tatsuya? How would two strangers and one of my high school peers be able to help you now?”

“I just thought...maybe if they remembered…”

 

“Remembered what?”

Tatsuya squeezes his eyes shut in frustration and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I doubt you’d believe me even if I told you”.

“What,” Jun begins, “did you all have a secret life of crime together? An embarrassingly bad high school band?” he teases. Tatsuya actually laughs, relieving some of Jun’s tension and anxiety.

“No, no, nothing like that. They were just...there...during some of those weird and hard parts of my life.”

“I see”, Jun says softly, feeling empathetic and not wanting to push that topic again. “On the bright side,” he says with a more cheerful tone, “you’ve made it all the way to noon and you’re still here! So you’ve made it halfway through the mysterious April 8th, 2007.”

“You’re right, but maybe I’m just lucky.”

“It’s not like anything tragic can really happen to you in my apartment”, Jun points out.

“I don’t know, maybe one of your potted plants or flower vases will fall on me. With this many plants, it seems pretty likely,” he jibes, earning himself a playful shove in return.

“My flowers would never! They’re pacifists”, Jun says indignantly, pretending to take offense. The two men laugh, forgetting their earlier tension, and relax into each other on the couch, taking comfort in each other’s company. Jun shifts his body so he’s sitting directly beside Tatsuya, rather than facing him from the arm rest.

“I guess it does make the most sense for me to stay inside all day”, Tatsuya says.

“For safekeeping”, Jun agrees.

Tatsuya sighs and leans his head against Jun’s, causing the latter’s face to flush pink. Jun wonders if Tatsuya’s heart is beating as hard as his own.

“Jokes aside, staying here really is probably the safest option”, Jun says, trying to stay calm as he sits so close to the other man that he can smell his hair and skin and clothing. It reminds him of flowers and fresh sheets.

“I’m sorry for imposing.”

“It’s no bother to me,” Jun says, reaching over and giving Tatsuya’s hand a squeeze. He swears he can feel Tatsuya flinch, but he relaxes right away. “It might be pretty boring though, spending all day cooped up in here,” he says, apologetic.

“Better bored than dead, right?” Tatsuya asks, voice grim.

\---

Turns out, the pair didn’t have much to worry about with regards to boredom. Hours pass in Jun’s tiny apartment in fluctuating states of contentment and anxiety. Tatsuya takes care to ask Jun about every single flower in the apartment. Jun takes time picking Tatsuya’s brain about motorcycles, family dynamics, and his childhood. He gets the sense that Tatsuya may have lived a lonely, albeit independent, life up to now. It makes him feel a little smug that Tatsuya has been getting along with him so easily.

They eat the rest of the food in Jun’s apartment for lunch and dinner. Jun secretly feels a little stressed that he’ll have to do a full grocery run after his first day back to work tomorrow, but he keeps this mundane problem to himself.

At around 7:15 PM, they’re both feeling significantly more relaxed. Tatsuya had made it to sunset afterall. Both are wise enough not to fall into a false sense of security however. Tatsuya is currently using the desktop computer to go online and check local and national news sites for any emergency warnings or dangerous current events that may be lying in wait for him before midnight. Jun leaves him to it while he goes around clipping and watering some of his plants.

“Hey, Jun?”, Tatsuya calls from the other side of the room.

“Hm?” Jun replies without turning away from the peace lily on the shelf.

“Why do you have this dead watch sitting here on your desk?” He asks, spinning around in the chair and holding the watch up by its leather strap.

“Oh, it died a few nights ago. I’ve been meaning to get new batteries but haven’t had the chance this weekend.”

“Is this...your only watch?” Tatsuya asks cryptically, studying it while he waits for an answer.

“Yes?” Jun answers in confusion, turning to face him.

“Sorry. It just reminded me of a watch I used to own. They’re actually nothing alike, but the memory just kind of came to me anyways…” he says, trailing off as he returns the watch to the desk. Jun shrugs and turns back to his plants, checking the soil of the potted orchid.

Tatsuya abruptly stands up, causing Jun to jump.

“I thought of something. I have an idea.”

“Oh?”, asks a perplexed Jun.

“My instinct is telling me to go to the Alaya shrine. Do you know it?”

“Yes, of course I know it. But do you really think we should go there now? You didn’t survive this long today by going out and taking risks. It’s already dark.”

Tatsuya sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “I know it’s risky. But I have this instinctual gut feeling that this is something I need to do...and I’d feel a lot better if you came with me”, he says, lowering his voice for the last bit.

Jun leans against the wall and thinks about the situation for a moment. He knows it’s foolish to leave the apartment now, but if Tatsuya says this needs to happen, then it needs to happen.

“I’ll get my coat”, he concedes.  
\---

Tatsuya very stubbornly agreed to taking a cab over his motorcycle, thanks in large part to Jun’s adamant protest about not taking chances on mortality rates on tonight of all nights. Jun doesn't consider is own car to be an option either--he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to Tatsuya while he was behind the wheel. They split the cost, thank the driver, and are standing in front of the shrine by 7:45 PM. The sun has just set and the stars are just beginning to shine through the darkening night sky.

“Do you...feel anything?” Jun asks, still uncertain about the need to be here.

Tatsuya lets out a short, sarcastic laugh. “A lot of things”, he replies. Jun walks forward and takes a seat on the stairs leading up to the shrine, and Tatsuya joins him.

“I used to spend a lot of time here as a kid”, says Tatsuya. Jun doesn’t say anything, hoping that Tatsuya will continue elaborating. “A lot happened to me here. It kind of...traumatized me. I thought if I came back here tonight, I’d have the answers we’ve been looking for all weekend.”

Jun looks at him with concern. Tatsuya doesn’t return the gaze, his full attention is turned towards the sky. Jun turns and looks up as well, just as he has hundreds upon hundreds of times on nights like these.

“There are a lot of funny constellations that you can see in April,” Jun states. He reaches over and grabs Tatsuya’s hand, aiming it towards the sky to direct Tatsuya’s line of sight. “That one there is Hydra. And over there is Crater. Do you see them?” 

Tatsuya allows Jun to guide him. “Yeah, I see them.”

Jun lowers their hands back down to their laps, but doesn’t let go, choosing to hold onto Tatsuya’s hand. Tatsuya doesn’t protest and laces his fingers through Jun’s. 

“Did you know they were put in the sky by Apollo? According to myth”, Jun says. Tatsuya looks at Jun’s face for a brief moment, expressionless, but turns his gaze back towards the constellations. “Apollo sent his crow, Corvus, to fetch him some water with a chalice. The crow got distracted by a fig tree for several days. Along his way back to Apollo, he picked up a snake to carry with him and use as an excuse for his tardiness. Apollo of course didn’t believe Corvus and ended up throwing the crow, the snake, and the chalice into the sky, turning them into constellations,” Jun explains.

Tatsuya doesn’t look away from the sky, but a soft smile spreads across his face and he gives Jun’s hand a gentle squeeze. “This all feels so surreal…”, Tatsuya breathes, barely loud enough for Jun to catch it. As if to add effect to his words, the pair watch as a shooting star crosses the heavens.

“Oh my!” Jun cries in delight. “We have to make a wish Tatsuya!” Jun stares at the sky in awe until the star disappears.

“Well, what did you wish for?” Tatsuya asks after a few seconds, amused.

“I wished for another tomorrow with you,” Jun says, turning to look Tatsuya directly in the eyes and giving him a heartfelt smile. Jun feels so full of new beginnings and possibilities, but looking into Tatsuya’s face he wonders what must be going through the other man’s mind. Tatsuya’s face is a mix of adoration and deep pain, and Jun can’t quite understand why. Tatsuya breaks their eye contact and looks back up. Jun’s smile falters, but he doesn’t have long to dwell on his heart ache.

“Wait holy shit”, Tatsuya exclaims, staring slack jawed at the sky.

Jun looks back up and his jaw drops as well. Up in the sky are dozens and dozens of shooting stars, flying all over the place. The sight unbelievably beautiful and mesmerizing. They stare in stunned silence, hardly believing what they are witnessing. 

One of the shooting stars seems brighter and more erratic than the others. It’s growing brighter and larger, almost as if it were drawing nearer. The pair jump up, feeling panicked as the shooting star is undeniably approaching them with each passing second. But there is nowhere to run and they are frozen in place by fear. In a sudden burst of bright light, a phantom lance manifests in place of the star, and in an instant, it pierces Tatsuya straight through the stomach and then disappears.

“ _No!_ Jun yells with a voice that feels too distant to be his own.

Time seems to slow and Jun’s eyes water and ears ring. He watches in slow motion as Tatsuya crumples to the ground with a grunt of pain. The erratic shooting stars disappear completely from the sky, but Jun hardly pays attention to this detail. He is immediately kneeling on the ground besides a fading, bleeding Tatsuya. He’s pale and struggling to hold on.

Jun places Tatsuya’s head in his lap and cries out through his sobs. “No! Tatsuya! You’ve got to hold on!”

“J...Jun…”

“Just hold on okay? I can fix this. We can fix this, you’re not going to die here!” He cries, pleading.

“Jun...look…” he rasps out, lifting a shaky hand to point to something just behind Jun. Jun whips his head around to look and sees the most alarming, inexplicable figure standing before them.

“Who--who are you?!” He yells at the dark figure with a gold wings and a clock face. It looks just like the being from his dream.

“I am Chronos. I am thou, thou art I”, the figure says in a deep voice. Oddly enough, Jun not only hears the voice outside of his head--in the environment like a normal sound--but he also hears the voice resonate within his mind simultaneously.

Jun’s heart skips a beat and his body lurches, eyes going wide. He momentarily forgets his surroundings as hundreds of memories flood back into him. The masked circle. The lighter he gave Tatsuya. Joker. Their friends. Xibalba. His first kiss with Tatsuya. Their first date. Their 10th date. A date he lost track of. Jun nearly passes out, overwhelmed and disoriented.

He snaps back to reality in an overwhelming rush of sensation and stimuli. “Tatsuya!” he cries, looking down at Tatsuya’s weak face. “I remember everything! I remember it all! I remember that day! I remember Big Maya! I remember us!” he chokes out through his tears.

Tatsuya forces open his eyes, just barely, and smiles up at Jun with the same warm smile he’s been using for days. It has a different weight now, or rather, Jun now understands it differently than he had for the last few days. His intimate smile has years of love and trust behind it.

“Tatsuya you have to hold on! I can’t lose you! I just got you back, you have to stay with me!” He sobs. But it’s futile, Tatsuya is fading. He loses consciousness before he can reply.

Jun frantically turns his head back toward the figure, yelling over his shoulder.“Chronos! You have to help! You have to save Tatsuya! Please I’ll do anything! You have to bring him back!” he begs, holding Tatsuya’s still body in his lap.

“As you wish,” Chronos replies in a deep monotone voice. He lifts one eerie, dark, gloved hand and points his palm towards the devastated pair. Everything begins to go fuzzy, and Jun feels the sensation of slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing he remembers is an odd, distorted ticking of a clock and a warm breeze emanating from Chronos.

\---

Jun awakens from his afternoon nap simultaneously refreshed and disgruntled, rolling over in his futon to check the time on the front screen of his flip phone. It’s about 3:30 PM, and if he gets ready and leaves now, he’ll be able to make it to the mechanic just before closing time. Just before he is about to reach up and peel the warm comforter away from his body, he freezes and immediately breaks into a cold sweat. His heart is racing with fear. He remembers everything. The shrine, the heavenly lance, his past with Tatsuya and their friends. Stricken with terror more intense than anything he’s ever felt before, Jun reaches back over for his phone. His hands are shaking violently as he flips open the screen to check the date. It is Friday afternoon on April 5th, 2007.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger!! I promise to post the next chapter by this Wednesday latest
> 
> Constellations that Apollo made:  
> Hydra (constellation) - http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-hydra.html  
> Crater (constellation) - http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-crater.html  
> Crovus (constellation) - not really explained in the plot, so see more here http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-corvus.html


	5. Forget-Me-Not

Jun wastes no time perfecting his appearance like he had the first time he had set out for the mechanic, feeling way too panicked and frantic to concern himself with anything else. He throws his bag over his shoulder, slips on his shoes, and runs out of his apartment with coat and car keys in hand, pausing only to lock the door behind him. He spends the next 20 minutes trying to restrain himself from blatantly breaking the speed limit and a handful of other perfectly reasonable traffic safety laws. The brief 20 minute drive to the mechanic feels like an eternity, but finally he pulls into the mechanic parking lot and parks his car just meters from a familiar motorcycle.

He doesn't bother trying to go through the front desk again and getting told to wait until closing--his urgency has gotten him to the mechanic significantly earlier than last time when he had taken time to get ready and hop on public transit. It’s only 4:05 PM, Tatsuya is likely still working on his final assignment for the day. Jun rushes around the corner of the parking lot towards the garages and doesn’t stop running when he can see Tatsuya servicing an electric scooter, his back turned to Jun. The pounding footsteps of someone sprinting stir Tatsuya from his concentration, and he turns to look over his shoulder to see who may be approaching so urgently. When he sees Jun, his eyes widen in alarm and confusion.

Jun comes to an abrupt halt just two feet from Tatsuya who stands up and looks at him with shock and expectancy. “Tatsuya,” he says breathlessly, “I remember everything.”

Tatsuya’s eyes widen and he drops the the socket wrench from his hand. It clatters to the concrete floor. A stunned second passes and suddenly Tatsuya has his arms wrapped so tightly around Jun’s body that it’s almost painful. Jun feels his eyes start to prickle and blur, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Everything?...” Tatsuya asks tentatively, pulling away. Jun can see that his mind is swimming with emotions, trying to calculate and understand this entire tangled mess at once.

“Everything,” Jun says softly, with a loving smile. He reaches his hands up to cup Tatsuya’s face and draws him closer for a chaste, long-awaited kiss. Though their lips separate, they keep their foreheads pressed together. 

“I’ve waited for so long...I had accepted that you would never remember me,” he breathes, wrapping his arms around Jun’s waist once more, far more gently this time.

“I’m sorry,” Jun sobs as he moves his face into the crook of Tatsuya’s neck. “I’m so, so sorry”, he chokes out, clutching the fabric on Tatsuya’s back.

“Don’t,” he replies, voice strained by holding back his own tears.

Their moment of reunion is broken by another mechanic who re-enters the garage.

“Suou...what are you doing?” the woman asks. She appears to be in her early-to-mid thirties and has black grease stains on her white t-shirt and overalls. Jun doesn’t take in many more details of this other mechanic as he is too busy wiping tears from his eyes and staring down at the floor.

“I’m sorry, Yamamoto...a bit of a...family emergency has come up,” he explains, glancing at Jun.

Yamamoto frowns at the two of them, taking pity upon them and whatever scene she just walked in on. “Are you done repairing the client’s scooter?” she asks.

“Just about. I was just finishing tightening a few pieces on the engine, and then I just have to put the protective board back on,” he explains.

Yamamoto glances at the clock. It’s 4:15 PM. “Well...that should only take about 10 more minutes...and that doesn’t leave you with enough time to service anything else...so I guess I can let you go early once you finish the scooter”, she concedes as she justifies her reasons for letting Tatsuya clock out early.

He flashes her a grateful smile and bows his head. “Thank you, Yamamoto. Jun, would you mind waiting in the lot? I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Jun hardly wants to leave Tatsuya’s side, but agrees. All things considered, he is extremely lucky to be here at all. To have Tatsuya back means more to Jun than anything in his life.

\---

The next ten minutes pass relatively quickly despite Jun’s impatience. Jun stops fidgeting with the hem of his shirt when he sees Tatsuya round the corner. 

“I think we should go back to my apartment and talk”, Tatsuya says. Jun nods in agreement. The pair begin to walk off in opposite directions--Tatsuya towards his motorcycle and Jun towards his car. Both stop after just taking a few steps and look back at each other, amused.

“My bike is over here,” Tatsuya states, pointing ahead of himself.

“Oh, I thought it would be easier to take my car? I wouldn’t want to leave it here unattended”, he replies.

“You have a car?” Tatsuya asks, slightly surprised.

“Right, I guess you wouldn’t know that since I forced us to take a cab the other night”, Jun says, feeling a spike of anxiety as he recalls the tragedy that occured what seems like only hours ago.

“The other night? Jun...I haven’t seen you since...well...since _before_ ”, he says, deeply confused and increasingly concerned.

“Wait, you’re telling me you remember nothing of this weekend?” Jun says, matching his bewilderment and worry with his own. They make silent eye contact for a few seconds, trying to think their way through this. “It seems like we have more to talk about than I thought,” Jun sighs.

“Alright. How about we grab some food and snacks from the convenience store across the street here and then drive back to my apartment in your car? I’ll leave my bike in the shop.”

“Works for me,” Jun says with a nod.

\---

“After you,” Tatsuya says holding open the door to his apartment with one hand and holding a plastic bag filled with pre-made sushi, steamed buns, and snacks in the other. Jun steps in, sliding off his shoes while looking around. The apartment is similarly sized to his own, which is to say, it’s quite small. The kitchen looks clean, if not untouched. The furniture doesn’t match all too well, most of it appearing to be second hand. This doesn’t really surprise Jun as most of his friends in their early twenties also lacked the money for new decor. There is a shelf stacked with more books than Jun would have expected. He also notes the computer, television, and red guitar. The sight of the familiar guitar makes his heart ache with nostalgia. Jun continues on inside and places his own plastic bag of food on the small round table tucked away near the kitchen space.

“Drink?” Tatsuya asks, already opening the fridge door. From his vantage point, Jun can see that the fridge is empty save for old take out and a half finished case of beer. He frowns.

“Please.”

Tatsuya takes a seat at the small table with Jun, placing the beers and second bag of food on the table as well. They sit opening their cans and wrappers and bags for a moment until they are finally settled.

“When I imagined seeing you again, I always thought it’d be me having more memories, not the other way around”, Tatsuya says with a strained laugh.

“You imagined our reunion often?” Jun asks playfully.

“Obviously”, Tatsuya says as his cheeks turn slightly pink. “But what were you going on about back at the mechanic? About something happening this weekend or the other night or something?”

Jun holds his face in his hand, leaning his elbow on the table. “Oh Tatsuya. You’re hardly going to believe this”.

Tatsuya scarcely touches his food while Jun explains the recent events in great detail. He explains the gravestone, their reunion at the mechanic, and their discussions on the day they got coffee and walked around. He explains his weird dreams about Chronos and how Chronos appeared before him at Alaya shrine, triggering the restoration of his memories. He tells Tatsuya about how although he didn’t remember him for the first three days, Tatsuya had treated him with trust and affection, always hinting at something bigger between the two of them, which Jun only realized was their shared past at the end. Jun falters when he explains Apollo’s constellations and the shooting stars and the heavenly lance that took Tatsuya’s life on the final day. Tatsuya doesn’t change his expression during the entire half hour that Jun speaks, determined to listen to every detail. Jun, however, feels as though he is on an emotional roller coaster and wishes that Tatsuya had retained these memories so Jun wouldn’t have to relive them so vividly. Jun finishes his story with tears in his eyes, unable to recall when in his story Tatsuya had reached over to hold his hand. Jun looks up, meeting Tatsuya’s gaze. He sees the silent tears falling down Tatsuya’s cheeks.

“Jun, I am so sorry that you have to bear the burden of those memories”, he says with heartfelt love and remorse.

“I am sure it’s no more painful than living a life where myself and all of our friends had forgotten you,” Jun says with a sniff.

“Yes...it was hard,” he admits, “but we have each other now and we both remember all that happened in the other timeline. That’s something I never thought would be possible. I’ve never felt so blessed...I never forgot you, Jun”.

“I know,” he says with another sniff, wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand and smiling sheepishly. “I love you.” 

Tatsuya squeezes his hand. “I love you too.”

“You know,” Jun says with a big grin and a weak laugh, “I started falling for you even when I didn’t remember who you were. Pretty much immediately.”

Tatsuya’s face flushes. “You...did?”

“I suppose it’s true that the heart never forgets.”

 

\---

It had gotten rather late, and both men were mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. They had spent several more hours going over the finer details over what had transpired over the ‘last’ four days of Jun’s memories. Jun felt no less worried and no closer to solving the mystery than he had before, but felt immense gratitude that he had been given yet another chance with Tatsuya.

“Would you...like to spend the night? It’s getting pretty late and I don’t want you to have to drive yourself home at this hour”, Tatsuya asks with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Of course I would like to spend the night with you. You couldn’t make me leave your side if you tried,” Jun teases. “Though...where do you sleep?” Jun asks looking around the apartment again. He hadn’t noticed a futon at all.

“In my bedroom?” Tatsuya half asks half tells, laughing. Jun hadn’t noticed the bedroom door tucked away next to the bookshelf. Tatsuya leads them into the small room. Inside is a double bed, a closet, a window, and a nightstand with a lamp. Not much else occupies the room.

“You need some photos or flowers or plants or _something_ ”, Jun teases dramatically, earning himself a jab in the side.

“Oh god you and your flowers. With you coming around my apartment now, the place is going to turn into a flower shop before I know it”, Tatsuya jokes in response.

Jun scoffs. “The lighting from your windows is terrible. It’d never work as a flower shop,” he says with faux disdain. Tatsuya laughs and pulls him into a warm embrace, kissing the top of his head.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

Jun pulls away slightly and rests his hands flat on Tatsuya’s chest, looking up into his loving gaze. “I’ll never take moments like this for granted ever again”, he promises.

They kiss, longer and deeper than their first kiss during their tearful reunion. Jun’s heart soars and every part of his body prickles with heat. The sensation of Tatsuya’s mouth on his own feels so precious and familiar. Their kiss continues for a moment more, causing desire to pool in his abdomen. Tatsuya is the first to break away.

“There will be plenty of time for this later, but for now, I know we’re both exhausted and barely able to stand up straight.”

“Fine,” Jun says with a pout before stealing another kiss. Tatsuya is right though, he’s in dire need of a rest.

They pull away and get changed and washed up for the night. Jun smells the fabric of the night shirt Tatsuya has leant him before pulling it over his head. Being surrounded by so many of Tatsuya’s things is more comforting than he had realized. How could he have forgotten about this? Even if it was because of someone as powerful as Philemon, he resents himself for ever having forgotten the impact Tatsuya has had on his life.

Jun flops playfully onto Tatsuya’s bed with his last bit of energy, jolting Tatsuya on the mattress. Tatsuya smiles and is wasting no time pulling Jun under the covers and into his arms.

“Do you think since I’m alive and we have our memories, whatever curse or fate that caused my death is lifted?” Tatsuya asks in the darkness, holding Jun tight to his body.

“I...don’t know”, Jun admits, pulling Tatsuya’s arms closer to his chest. He’s glad that Tatsuya cannot see his crestfallen face. Truthfully, Jun doesn’t believe the mystery is yet solved, and worries about the looming April 8th deadline.

“I guess if I...do die again in two days”, he says carefully, “you could always ask Chronos to send you back again, right?” Tatsuya asks, seeking comfort from his partner.

“Maybe...but who knows? Besides, I don’t think I could ever survive watching you die a second time”, Jun says quietly, feeling his eyes prickle for the hundredth time in hours.

“Well, I won’t let you suffer anymore. We’ll solve this, I’m sure of it.” He pauses before adding, “and tomorrow let’s celebrate our reunion. I want to take you out for a nice French dinner.”

Jun laughs, feeling lighter. “Oh god, just like our first real date back in high school?”

“Yes, it will be our first of many more real dates to come.”

“But shouldn’t we focus on solving this problem before we waste time on dates and relaxation?” Jun asks, rolling over to face Tatsuya.

“Time with you is not time wasted,” Tatsuya replies, giving Jun a kiss. “I want to seize every moment I have with you, while we are here right now. Spending a nice day together may refresh us. And besides, I have a gut feeling that we will solve this afterall.”

“Well if you insist,” Jun laughs, only slightly more at ease.

“I do”, Tatsuya says with his soothing, sleepy voice.

Despite their exhaustion, the two continue to joke and speak sweet nothings for some time before finally drifting off together into a deep, peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget-me-not (chapter title) meaning: memories/true love


	6. White Violet

The morning had been a pleasant one, filled with playful banter, reassurances, and companionship. Jun had barely wanted to leave the safe, comfortable confines of the bed, wishing he could pretend they had no looming problems to address outside of ‘who stole the blankets in their sleep’ last night.

Though Jun had tried to have a carefree morning, he couldn’t shake his worry for long.

“You look exhausted, Jun”, Tatsuya observes with concern.

“Yes...I am. It feels like I’ve been going full speed for five days now, especially because I retained all of my memories from our first attempt at addressing this gravestone nonsense. But I feel no closer to solving it, so I can’t rest now”, he says with conviction.

“I know that your top concern is my safety and survival,” Tatsuya says in a soothing voice, reaching over to place his hand over Jun’s as they sit at the small table drinking coffee, “but if you’re burnt out then that’s no good either.”

“I can rest in two days, when we’re done with this.”

“Can you though? Don’t you have to return to work on Monday like the rest of us? You need a day off, Jun. Let me take you out today, like we discussed last night,” he says firmly, though his voice has a certain measure of gentleness to it.

“Tatsuya, I appreciate your concern but I don’t really think you’re taking this seriously”, Jun says as he pinches the bridge of his nose. All of the tension has left his shoulders and neck tight, causing more headaches than usual.

“Not taking my own life seriously?” Tatsuya counters, hurt.

“No, it’s not that. I know you value your life…” Jun trails off, looking down at his coffee in despair.

“Then help me understand what you mean.”

“It’s selfish,” he says dismissively.

“Jun, you always say that whenever you actually mean ‘I care about my loved ones safety’. It’s not selfish to worry about someone because you would feel their pain as your own.”

Jun sighs, feeling the prickle of tears behind his eyes again. “I just...like I said...I can’t watch you die again. I’ll never be able to unsee those moments or unfeel that pain. That’s why I want to get it right this time around.” He looks pleadingly at Tatsuya.

Tatsuya maintains eye contact with Jun, considering his words. “I promise you that won’t happen again. I won’t leave your side.”

Jun nods feebly in response.

“Can we make a compromise instead?” Tatsuya offers, voice filled with hope.

Jun meets his gaze once more, curious. “Like?”

“I still take you out and spoil you today--”

“Tatsuya--”

“But, before we leave, we follow up on a lead I have”, Tatsuya concludes, looking proud of himself.

“You have a lead? If it’s meeting up with Maya and the others, you already tried that last time and none of them remembered you. The only reason I remember everything now is because of Chronos”, Jun points out.

“Exactly”, Tatsuya replies, smiling.

“Please explain, dear” Jun says with an exasperated sigh. Tatsuya’s face heats up, but he doesn’t lose his focus.

“Try summoning Chronos right now. Maybe we can ask him some questions”.

Jun raises his eyebrows, impressed. “That’s...a really clever idea”, he admits. “Okay Tatsuya, if I’m able to summon Chronos--and I have no idea if I even still can--and he gives us some answers, then I’ll let you take full control for the rest of the day.”

“We have a deal then”, he replies smugly.

Jun is about to protest that he doesn’t even know how to summon Chronos out of the blue, but before the thought leaves his lips, he realizes that it isn’t true. He knows he can do it, instinctively. Like flexing a muscle or snapping his fingers.

“Chronos,” he states with authority. Jun feels a tingling sensation in his head and suddenly in a flash of light, the familiar presence manifests right before their eyes.

“I lend you my strength”, Chronos drones.

“Actually, er, Chronos, I was hoping you could answer some questions for us”, Jun says, feeling awkward as he tries to make conversation with his persona. Tatsuya watches in silence, unphased.

“Why did Tatsuya die? Why will he die again?”

“Because it is inevitable.”

Jun’s stomach lurches and he exchanges glances with a worried Tatsuya. “Why?” Jun asks, half pleading.

“All mortal deaths are inevitable”, Chronos replies dryly, simply stating a fact.

“But why _now_?” Jun cries in frustration.

“Because Goddess Ananke wishes it to be so.”

“Ananke...didn’t you mention her in my dream? She is your lover, right?” Jun asks, trying to keep up.

“Yes, we are lovers. Time and Inevitability. We have been separated for so long.”

“How can we change Ananke’s mind?” Jun asks, hoping this question isn’t futile.

“You cannot. Because I am bound to you, I cannot return to her. Her wrath will continue.”

“Can’t Jun just release you? Like Yukino did to give Jun the power to wield a persona?” Tatsuya chimes in, thinking quick on his feet.

“Because Jun was given the power by another, he cannot release me on his own. I’m sorry, but we are both trapped by fate”, Chronos concludes before fading away.

Jun and Tatsuya look at each other, exchanging information with eye contact. Both are more determined rather than deterred after hearing Chronos’ words.

“Satisfied?” Tatsuya asks.

“Marginally”, Jun replies pointedly.

“Now that we solved the ‘why’, we can work on figuring out ‘how’”, Tatsuya says, content.

“As if it’s that easy,” Jun scoffs. “Tatsuya, I’m really worried about this. We only have a day left and--” while he speaks, Tatsuya rises from his chair and walks over to Jun, pulling him upright and into an embrace.

“We’ll be fine. Go get ready for our date,” he says, kissing the top of Jun’s head. Jun relaxes into Tatsuya’s arms and nuzzles his face into the other man’s collarbone.

“I can’t”, Jun protests. Tatsuya pulls away slightly to look Jun in the face.

“Jun, we had a deal--”

“No, I mean I have no clean clothes here. I need to go home and get ready so I can look good for you,” he says, batting his eyelashes.

Tatsuya laughs and grabs Jun’s chin with his hand, pulling him for a kiss. “If you insist”.

“I do”, Jun says coyly, spinning their same words from last night.

\---

Tatsuya waits patiently inside Jun’s apartment while he gets ready. Each time Jun tries on a blouse, he asks for Tatsuya’s opinion. Each time, Tatsuya tells him it looks just fine and Jun takes it off with a huff. While Jun has his back turned to Tatsuya, buttoning up his fourth potential shirt, Tatsuya takes notice of a discarded watch sitting on top of Jun’s desk.

“Oh, you still have the watch!” Tatsuya says happily.

“What?” Jun says, turning around as he finishes the last button and walks up to the desk.

“This is very weird”, Jun says, picking it up and inspecting it.

“What’s weird about?” Tatsuya asks. “I still have the lighter, too”.

“That’s sweet dear, but that’s not what I meant. My watch never used to look like this. Just days ago, I didn’t own the watch you had given me as a child. I had a simple watch with a leather strap, and the clock had stopped working just the night before we met. It was stuck on 8 o’clock.” Jun’s eyes go wide with realization. “That’s the time of night when you died…” he adds quietly.

“But this watch is clearly the one I gave you, and it’s clock face is working perfectly fine”, Tatsuya points out, comparing the time on the watch to the time on his flip phone.

“How odd…” Jun says, puzzled. He secures the watch to his wrist and smiles softly. It feels right.

“Are you about ready to go?” Tatsuya asks, hoping that the fashion show is over. “You look wonderful, don’t worry.” It seems Jun has finally settled on a black floral button up covered in white and grey roses.

\---

Jun felt weird being the passenger in his own car, but Tatsuya had insisted on driving--”so that you don’t have to think about anything but enjoying the day”, he had said. Jun feels warmth spread through his hole body when Tatsuya pulls the car into the Aoba Park parking lot.

“For the next several hours, you can tell me all you want about flowers and what they mean”, Tatsuya says with a sheepish smile.

The pair spend quite a bit of time slowly strolling through the garden pathways, frequently stopping so Jun can crouch down and get a better look at sprouts, name placards, and blooming spring flora. 

“This one is a Jonquil”, Jun says, pointing to a flower with white petals and a yellow bell.

“It looks like a daffodil to me,” Tatsuya replies.

“They’re related,” Jun says patiently. “Jonquils convey the meaning of hoping to be loved in return or reciprocating love and affection”. Jun explains, tilting his head and giving Tatsuya a flirtatious smile.

“Are you hinting that I should buy you a bouquet of jonquils?” Tatsuya asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“That won’t be necessary,” Jun says smugly, lacing his fingers through Tatsuya’s as if to prove his point. Tatsuya gives his hand a gentle squeeze in return.

They continue walking, enjoying the cool spring breeze and the warm sunshine. 

“Tatsuya?”

“Hmm?”

“What is your favorite flower?” Jun asks.

Tatsuya blushes and hesitates, and Jun smirks while he waits for the answer. “It’s...Salvia…”

“Is that so?” Jun asks, still smirking but feeling his heart clench with adoration.

“Because...you gave it to me back then...I still remember what it means. ‘Forever mine’ or ‘I always think of you’...It gave me hope back then”, he confesses softly.

“Must I buy you a bouquet of salvias?” Jun teases back, nudging Tatsuya in the side.

“That won’t be necessary,” Tatsuya laughs breathlessly, coming to a halt and pulling Jun into him for a sweet kiss. The world all but disappears around them as they get lost in the moment, the kiss beginning to deepen just before the remember that they are in public. Both pull away, their faces flushed.

Jun clears his throat and tries to compose himself. His whole body wants more, but he knows now is not the time. He’ll just have to settle for sweet words instead. “I love you”.

“I love you, too”, Tatsuya replies gently, taking Jun’s hand in his own as they continue on their way.

\---

The hours spent in Aoba park left the pair ravenous. Jun was very eager for this fancy dinner, and feels grateful that Tatsuya is the one driving to the restaurant so that he can let his mind wander freely.

They arrive in Yumezaki in very little time at all, and Tatsuya escorts them to one of the upper floors of a tall building where many elegant, well-known restaurants can be found. The staff welcome them in and seat them in the corner by a large window overlooking the other buildings and towers around them. Bright lights from the clubs and pachinko parlors glitter in the distance.

“My my, this is quite lavish,” Jun states, quite impressed.

“I don’t go out much, so I inadvertently ended up saving more money than you’d expect of a small engines mechanic. Perfect for special occasions such as this, don’t you think?” Tatsuya says playfully. His handsome features are beautifully accentuated in the dim lighting of the restaurant, and Jun feels like he could burst.

They take their time looking over the menu while they sip at the red wine their server had brought them, neither of them having many opportunities to sample much French cuisine before. They each end up ordering a different entree and appetizer that they both want to try, so that they can share and sample multiple dishes at once. 

“This is the best part about having a boyfriend,” Jun says just after they place their order.

“Oh Jun, who knew you were so shallow?” Tatsuya jokes.

“It’s the truth,” Jun replies dramatically in return.

They share in pleasant conversation and flirtatious teasing as they slowly wine and dine their way through they evening. They talk about childhood nostalgia, they fill in the gaps of each other’s young adulthoods, they make absurd jokes and references. But never do they bring up personas or death or gravestones or shrines. They’ve shared in enough tragedy and it’s about time they share in the splendor of love and happiness too.

Tatsuya insists on ordering chocolate lava cakes as a grand finale to their meal--or “ _Petit Gâteau_ ” as the menu says with dignity and sophistication. Jun takes notice that Tatsuya has ceased drinking after his second glass of wine about an hour ago, courteously allowing Jun to have his fill of wine without having to worry about driving home. Jun’s heart feels so soft at the small gesture. Sure, taking him on lavish dates to gardens and upscale restaurants was charming and lovely, but the small acts of kindness and consideration that Tatsuya has shown him throughout his entire life are what make him so perfect in Jun’s eyes.

\---

With hearts and stomachs filled to the brim, Tatsuya drives them back to his own apartment. Jun secretly wonders how he’ll ever break the habit of sleeping over in Tatsuya’s bed now that he’s getting a taste of how wonderful it is to wake up beside him.

Feeling emboldened by wine and romance, Jun is rather handsy in the elevator leading up to Tatsuya’s apartment. Tatsuya tries to laugh him off, telling him to at least wait until they’re inside, but he returns Jun’s quick kisses nonetheless. Jun practically pulls him down the hallway, only letting go of his hands to let Tatsuya unlock the door. Tatsuya enters first, followed by Jun who barely has the door closed behind him when Tatsuya pins him to the wall by his wrists, his needy mouth immediately on Jun’s.

Jun’s eyes widen in brief surprise, but he closes them and loses himself in the moment, moaning into the kiss. His heart is pounding and his body is quickly starting to ache with heat and desire as the kiss gets deeper, rougher. The two clumsily make their way to the bedroom, hands and mouths all over each other between flustered attempts at peeling off shoes and sweaters and pants that now feel too tight.

As they pull each other onto the bed, Jun leaves playful bites along Tatsuya’s neck, eliciting gruff noises that Jun wants to hear more and more of. They continue on this way, biting and kissing and grinding and moaning as their hearts and bodies throb. Losing themselves in a little bliss seems more than justifiable. Enjoying each other’s presence--bodies included--is all they have in this moment, and they’ll take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White Violet (chapter title) meaning: Let's take a chance on happiness
> 
> Just one chapter left!! Hoping to get this pup done by/on the weekend.


	7. Lily of the Valley

Jun wakes up to Tatsuya leaving gentle kisses up his abdomen from the waistband of his briefs all the way up to his chest and then neck. He lets out a gasp of surprise and runs his fingers through Tatsuya’s hair, pulling him up for a chaste morning kiss. Though he is groggy, his body already craves a repeat of last night’s escapades.

“Sleep well?” Tatsuya asks in his rough morning voice.

Jun hums in confirmation and rolls Tatsuya onto his back. He leaves a trail of kisses of his own, starting at his jawline but not stopping as he gets to the waistband. He pulls the boxers off and flashes Tatsuya a devilish grin.

\---

It was harder than usual for them to get out of bed this morning, but somehow they managed to keep their hands and mouths to themselves long enough to get dressed and eat breakfast. Though Jun wished he could live in blissful ignorance just a bit longer, the worry about tonight’s supposedly ‘inevitable’ death was returning to him full force. Jun is growing to loathe the date of April 8th.

Knowing that Tatsuya was in no real danger until the evening, the two left the apartment in the late morning to pick up groceries at the local supermarket. They didn’t want to eat out again today, and Jun desperately needed more groceries so that he could pack some meals to bring to work starting tomorrow. The dread of having to make lesson plans and return to his regular full-time routine didn’t quite match the dread of going to the shrine later tonight, but the dread for the mundane was there regardless.

Not really having anywhere specific either of them needed to be today, they let the hours tick by in Jun’s apartment. Brainstorming ideas made the hours pass what felt a little too quickly.

“Maybe you should try summoning Apollo”, Jun suggests, running out of ideas. “I mean, it can’t hurt, right?”

“True. I haven’t tried summoning him in years. I wonder if there will be any lasting effect--like how you regained your memories by seeing Chronos”, Tatsuya wonders aloud.

“That would be convenient”, Jun says, half smiling.

Just like a repeat of yesterday, Tatsuya summons his own persona with little effort or fanfare. Neither Apollo nor Tatsuya say anything for a moment and Jun watches them cautiously in silence. Jun is beginning to become irritated by the lack of verbal communication and is about to work up the nerve to interrupt when Tatsuya finally breaks the silence.

“Good news, Jun. Convenient indeed.”

“Wait, what?” Jun asks, unsure if Tatsuya is saying what he thinks he’s saying.

“Summoning Apollo really did trigger my memories. I remember our first three days of trying to to solve this together. I think the memories were latent in the back of my mind after all, and I just had to bring these two...versions of myself together”, Tatsuya explains.

Apollo himself interrupts. “Thank you, Jun Kurosu, for guiding Tatsuya this far.”

“Sorry, I don’t follow…” Jun replies, a bit lost.

Apollo doesn’t make any indication that he is about to elaborate, so Tatsuya makes his best attempt at explaining what his other consciousness is trying to say.

“You kept bringing up Apollo, almost as if you were trying to guide me to this moment, either knowingly or unknowingly. Through your descriptions of dreams and flowers and constellations--all relating to Apollo in some way--you helped us connect the dots regarding Apollo’s role in all of this. And I can tell that he has the answers.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit. I’m always bringing up flowers and constellations--”

“Yes, but have you considered that you’ve done this before? Even as Joker, you guided us to the truth. Without your flowers and cryptic messages eight years ago...who knows what would have happened to us and to Sumaru City.”

“I...suppose you’re right”, Jun says feeling slightly embarrassed by Tatsuya’s praise.

“You’re like my North star. I can look to you for light and direction. You always bring me home”, Tatsuya continues, gentle smile spread across his face.

Jun is full on blushing now. “Enough sappy compliments, Tatsuya. We’re here to ask Apollo questions”, he insists, feeling flustered.

“Sure, sure”, Tatsuya concedes with a laugh. “Apollo, is there any way to avoid this fate placed upon me by Ananke?” Tatsuya asks, tone taking a turn for the serious.

“There is”, Apollo states, matter of factly.

“How?” Tatsuya probes. Jun can tell that he’s trying his best to remain patient.

“Stop time. Then do as I once did with what no longer served me--return it to the stars.”

“Can you give us any more details?” Jun asks, his body quivering with anticipation.

“You already know everything you need to know in order to succeed. Inevitability misses her lover. Return him. Together you must put the past behind you and move on towards your own future.”

Before either of them can ask any more questions, Apollo fades away back into the confines of Tatsuya’s mind.

Tatsuya has a determined look on his face. His eyes focus on nothing in particular and his thoughts are turned completely inwards, considering everything Apollo and Chronos have told them.

“I hate to say this, but all we can do now is wait”, Tatsuya says with resignation.

\---

Jun is unbearably anxious on their drive to the shrine that evening. His stomach is churning and his neck is prickling, and his breathing is just barely under control. The tension in the car is palpable. Tatsuya hasn’t said anything during the entire ride. While Jun is driving he tries to steal glances at Tatsuya. His body is completely rigid. One arm is resting on the center console like an arm rest, and Jun can see that his knuckles are white from clenching his fist.

“It’s going to be okay,” Jun says reassuringly, as much for himself as for Tatsuya.

His legs feel like sand as they make their way from the car to the steps of the shrine. Once again it is just before 8 PM and the stars are shining bright on what would otherwise be a perfect spring evening.

“Everything will be fine as long as we stick to the plan”, Tatsuya says, resolute. While they waited for nightfall, the two had plotted exactly how they would return Chronos to Ananke. It had been frustratingly difficult to unravel the cryptic clues bestowed upon them by their personae. Ultimately, they had agreed to wait until the shooting stars delivered Ananke’s lance, and Jun would command Chronos to take the blow and block Tatsuya from harm. There was no proof that this would work, but it was the best they had come up with and they coulnd’t afford for their plan to fail.

Tatsuya is fidgeting with his lighter while they sit on the steps to the shrine in silence. Jun checks his watch--7:55 PM. 

“We’ve fought off worse”, Jun says comfortingly, stoking Tatsuya’s determination. He puts away his lighter. 

“If there’s anything I know with certainty, it’s our ability to overcome any odds as long as we’re together”, Tatsuya says with conviction.

Jun smiles softly and places his hand over Tatsuya’s. “And at least now, no matter what, we have every single one of our shared memories back in tact. Nothing that happens tonight will change that.”

Time ticks down as they wait in silence. Jun rests his head on Tatsuya’s shoulder, and Tatsuya sits unmoving like stone. They’re both startled out of the moment when they see the first shooting star. 

As it disappears, Tatsuya asks, “What did you wish for this time?”

Jun turns his head and kisses Tatsuya on the cheek. “For our happy ending”.

Before they can get lost in the moment, dozens and dozens of stars begin shooting wildly once again. Jun and Tatsuya stand up, unafraid. They won’t run from fate.

Just as it had before, a star begins to fly directly towards them. Jun summons Chronos in preparation, the star ready to transform into the deadly lance at any second.

“Chronos, I command you to take this mortal blow in Tatsuya’s place”, he says through gritted teeth.

The lance appears in a burst of light, hurtling towards them. Chronos shakes his head no. He doesn’t move an inch.

“ _Do it!_ ” Jun yells, filled with rage and panic. But there is no time, and the lance pierces Tatsuya straight through the abdomen. He looks at Jun, his eyes wide with terror.

“NO!” Jun screams. “Samarecarm!” he commands. This time, Chronos obeys, reviving Tatsuya with ease.

A white light surrounds Tatsuya, causing the lance and the fatal wound to disappear instantly. Dazed, Tatsuya gets back on his feet with Jun’s assistance. Jun looks at Chronos with murderous intent.

“How could you?!” he yells at Chronos, his arm around Tatsuya to steady him. Before he can fully unleash his rage, Tatsuya interrupts.

“Jun, look up”, he commands.

Up in the sky, stars are beginning to shoot more erratically than before. Hundreds of flashes of light decorate the sky, illuminating the earth like flashes of lightning.

“I think we made her angry,” Tatsuya says as he stares up at the sky in awe.

“Not as furious as they’ve made me,” Jun says bubbling with anger. He could never forgive anyone or anything that would put Tatsuya’s life in danger, especially not his own persona.

None of the stars seem to be shooting in their direction just yet, but this turn of events was unplanned for, and neither know what to expect nor how much time they have left.

“Tatsuya. Summon Apollo”, Jun commands. Tatsuya does so unquestioningly. “We need to do as Apollo instructed. We need to return Chronos to the heavens. Maybe if we reunite him with Ananke this will all be over”, Jun explains franticly. 

Tatsuya nods once in response, looking as determined as ever. Apollo and Chronos stand before them, facing each other as if just before the start of a duel.

“Chronos is your target,” Tatsuya instructs Apollo. In an instant, the battle begins. Apollo casts Agidyne in a burst of red light, engulfing Chronos in flames. He follows up immediately with Gigantic Fist, knocking Chronos back.

Chronos stands and casts Heartfelt Prayer, healing himself from the damage before blasting Apollo back with Garudyne. Apollo is struck but manages to dodge left to avoid a follow up attack.

The battle continues with Tatsuya and Jun watching on helplessly as the shooting stars grow more and more volatile. The flashing lights from both the stars and the battle are dizzying. Apollo and Chronos are acting completely without interference, throwing skill after skill at once another.

Finally it seems that Apollo has gained the upper hand. He gets in a lucky hit, completely knocking an unmoving Chronos to the ground. Apollo extends a hand over Chronos and a barrier of light seems to leave Chronos’ form, being sucked into the palm of Apollo’s outstretched hand.

“What is he doing?” Jun asks, not taking his eyes off the personae.

“I think...he’s removing his light resistance,” Tatsuya guesses without breaking his gaze, face callous..

As the light is completely removed from Chronos’ body, the fallen Chronos attempts to get back to his feet, but crumples back down to the ground, wounded. Apollo continues to stand over him and charges an attack. Stars from the sky begin shooting wildly towards them and the moment seems to slow in tension and anticipation.

“Nova Kaiser!” Apollo roars. The world stops, and a long beam of light manifests before Apollo and flies towards Chronos, piercing him in the heart. Chronos has undoubtedly suffered a fatal wound, but staggers to his feet in one last stand of defiance. He casts Cross Fortune, critically wounding Apollo.

As the two personae stand there, life draining, every single star in the sky freezes in place. The bodies of the two personae begin to fade from existence, sparkling into dust and floating up towards the sky. The stars unfreeze and begin to flow in reverse, seeming to be pulled back towards their original places as the fragments of Apollo and Chronos begin to rapidly ascend into the heavens, disappearing in a distant glittering flash.

The world around them is eerily silent and still. Tatsuya and Jun exchange horrified glances, too afraid to relax. They look around in all directions, but find that everything has returned to normal. An entire minute passes this way before either of them speaks.

“Did it...work?” Jun asks. He realizes that he can no longer sense Chronos’ presence. His tie to his persona is severed. He explains this to Tatsuya, who confirms that he too can no longer feel Apollo.

The two collapse onto the steps of the shrine, breathless and exhausted, each doing their best to keep impending panic attacks at bay. Jun can’t help but cry. Silently at first, then sobbing. Tatsuya wordlessly takes him into his arms, stroking his hair and back to soothe him.

“We did it, Jun. We’re alive. We get to live”, he says softly, holding Jun tight.

Jun’s sobbing slowly abates and he composes himself, breathing deeply and rubbing his puffy, tear stained face on his sleeves.

“It’s really over, isn’t it”, Jun says, filled with fresh hope.

“Yeah”, Tatsuya replies, beginning to smile as he’s flooded with relief.

They look up at the stars in silence, watching for any abnormalities, but find nothing out of the ordinary. The sky is clear and the stars and moon shine brightly. Tatsuya places his arm around Jun as they sit there together, appreciating the peaceful calm of the moment.

Jun rests his head on Tatsuya’s shoulder once again, feeling grateful and full of love. He doesn’t know how much time has passed when Tatsuya finally speaks up.

“Should we head back to the car? It’s getting chilly out here”, he suggests. As if on cue, a shiver runs through Jun’s body.

“Yeah, let’s go. I’m completely exhausted.”

“Too bad we have to get up for work tomorrow morning,” Tatsuya sighs. Jun lets out a loud, dramatic groan.

“Why did you have to bring that up now?” he whines.

They reach the parked car and pause before unlocking the car doors, taking one last look up at the night sky. Tatsuya pulls Jun close and gives him a kiss on the head. Jun lets out a content sigh.

“I have a newfound appreciation for how still the night sky is”, Tatsuya says with a soft laugh, admiring the shining stars above them.

“Me too”, Jun agrees. “They feel even brighter and more beautiful now that we’re together with nothing threatening to tear us apart again. I think the reason the stars shine so bright is that I’ve regained what is important to me.”

Tatsuya looks down at Jun with a heart-achingly soft smile full of love, adoration, and gratitude. “Let’s go home”, he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily of the Valley (chapter title) meaning - Return to happiness/You've made my life complete
> 
> Thank you for reading! P2/tatsujun content is pretty limited, so I hope you were able to find this fic enjoyable <3
> 
> If you enjoy my writing & love P5, I'm currently developing a P5 dating sim! Please check out @p5fangame on twitter or tumblr if you wanna date yusuke/ryuji/goro!!


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